With the likes of Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard and a host of established players from some of Europe's biggest clubs at their disposal, hope is ripe in Norway that Stale Solbakken's men can take a huge step towards ending a 25-year wait to qualify for a major tournament, when they host Italy at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo on Friday night.
The last time Norway qualified for a final tournament, Britney Spears conquered the charts, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston tied the knot, Sony released the PlayStation 2, and Vladimir Putin was elected President of Russia.
Back then, at EURO 2000, Tottenham's Steffen Iversen gave Norway a sensational 1-0 win against Spain in their opening match before a draw against Slovenia and a narrow 1-0 defeat against FR Yugoslavia saw them crash out of the tournament.
It was during those days that coach Nils Johan Semb was trying to introuduce a slightly more spectator-friendly kind of football after his predecessor, the "Mad Professor" Egil Olsen, who was mostly known for wearing Wellington rubber boots in all kinds of weather, had put Norway on the world football map by qualifying them for the 1998 World Cup (where they managed to beat Brazil) through unashamedly direct football.
Its 27 years since Norways famous win against Brazil in the World CupBORIS HORVAT / AFP / AFP / Profimedia
Decades in the wilderness
Olsen was a tactical non-conformist and an early adopter of data and analytics, particularly in terms of physical output, but he quickly turned into a bit of a "dinosaur" when the rest of the football world caught up with the reliance on data.
At the same time, the pipeline of players stopped producing when Rosenborg, the powerhouse of Scandinavian football, slowly faded, leaving Norway with a very narrow squad in terms of quality on the pitch.
Since then, Norway have been unable to fulfil their desperate quest to end a seemingly never-ending period in the wilderness. You cannot expect a country with a population of 5.5 million people to be high achievers, but the fact is that far smaller European nations have managed to qualify for either the World Cup or the European Championship since the year 2000.
Countries like Iceland (376,000), Northern Ireland (1.8 million), Wales (3.1 million), Republic of Ireland (5 million), Albania (2.8 million), North Macedonia (2 million), Slovakia (5.4 million), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (3.2 million), all nations with less inhabitants than Norway have since then made appearances. And Norway's consistent failure to qualify for major tournaments becomes perhaps especially embarrassing if you look at bitter rivals, Denmark, who have played in no less than eight international tournaments since Norway featured in the EURO 2000.
Quality in numbers
But now there is a newfound football optimism that Norway could again compete against football's big nations in a country which otherwise prides itself mostly on winter sports.
After initial 4-2 and 5-0 away wins against Israel and Moldova which have lifted Norway to the top of Group I, expectations are at an all-time high in the Norwegian capital as Stale Solbakken and his men prepare a warm welcome for the Italian favorites to win the group at a sold-out Ullevaal Stadium.
For the first time in decades, Norway boasts a squad brimming with attacking talent as Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard spearhead a golden generation of players. Just look at the possible lineup for the Norwegians on Friday night as they take on Italy.
In defence, Solbakken is likely to pick Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford), Leo Skiri Ostigard (Hoffenheim), Julian Ryerson (Borussia Dortmund) and David Moller Wolfe (AZ Alkmaar). In midfield, Odegaard will be orchestrating Norway's offence, and he will have plenty of support from Sander Berge (Fulham), Patrick Berg (Bodo/Glimt) and Andreas Schjelderup (Benfica). And in attack, Haaland and Alexander Sorloth (Atletico Madrid) will complete an impressive lineup that not many national teams will be able to match.
And should Solbakken still need reinforcements, he will have the luxury of having profiles like Oscar Bobb (Manchester City), Antonio Nusa (RB Leipzig) and Morten Thorsby (Genoa) among others on the bench.
Andreas Schjelderup is one of the future stars in the Norwegian squadMIGUEL A. LOPES / EPA / Profimedia
Giving domestic talents senior opportunities
One of the main reasons for the impressive squad that Stale Solbakken may pick his starting XI from is the willingness to give senior opportunities to emerging domestic talents from a young age.
After Norway sunk to an-time low in 2017, when they lost to Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan in their qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Norwegian federation decided to spend more money on developing young players and youth coaches; Youth Academies were established and a national youth series was established while loan rules were altered to maximise playing time for young players.
Today, the country’s premier competition, the Eliteserien, has an average age of 25.1, which is the 18th lowest in Europe. In addition, there is a determination within the league to give opportunities to domestic talents, which is evidenced by the fact that just 28.9% (12th lowest) of the players in the Eliteserien are foreign players.
"Spring is coming after a long winter"
Bodo/Glimt's amazing run to the semi-finals of the Europa League this season, where they beat a number of top European sides like FC Porto, Olympiakos and Lazi,o is testament to the Norwegian focus on developing young talent and giving them the opportunity to flourish.
The club has built a reputation for nurturing young players and integrating them into the first team, and Solbakken is now reaping the benefits of this, especially through the presence of defensive midfielder Patrick Berg.
Norway's national team are not expected to reap the full benefits of their emphasis on nurturing young players until around 2028. But over recent years, the number of Norwegian players in Europe's top five leagues has grown.
Norwegians are used to seeing their national side fall at the final hurdle, but with the World Cup expanding to a 48-team competition in 2026, Solbakken's men now have an amazing chance to dismiss a national trauma and qualify for their first major tournament in a quarter of a century.
As the President of the Norwegian Federation, Lise Klaveness said, leading up to this campaign. “There is a sense that it is our turn now. That spring is coming, after a long winter.”